The Jets had their home opener in primetime on Thursday Night Football against the rival New England Patriots. New York came in looking to reverse some trends. The Patriots had won 18 of the last 20 in the rivalry. When it comes to primetime games, the Jets had not been successful under coach Robert Saleh. Their record coming in was 1-6, with the one win being last season’s opener against the Bills (when Aaron Rodgers was injured and lost for the season). They also came in as losers of six straight on Thursday Night Football.
All of that changed on this September night in East Rutherford, NJ. The Jets emerged victorious, 24-3, over the Patriots. Rodgers looked like everything the Jets and their fans had hoped for, if not more. The defense looked dominant. While it wasn’t perfect (see more below), it was close as the Jets move to 2-1. They finished their third game in 11 days, and get a few extra days of rest before they welcome the Denver Broncos next Sunday.
Next Man Up
One sign of a great team is depth. “Next man up” is a common phrase on those teams. In the Jets home opener, they were forced to start new players in new places, due to injury.
With CJ Mosley out with an injured toe, Jamien Sherwood started in the middle and called the defensive plays. Mosley, a team captain, is a critical cog for the defense and missing him was a big loss. Sherwood had five tackles, with fellow linebacker Quincy Williams leading the team with eight.
At defensive end, this was the first game that budding star Jermaine Johnson missed after suffering an Achilles injury against Tennessee. While Haason Reddick continues his holdout, the defensive end is a thin position. However, the defense, and defensive ends, all played admirably, and used Johnson’s signature celebration to accentuate big plays.
Whether through blitzes or stunts in their base package, the Jets were in the Patriots backfield for most of the game. They constantly pressured Patriots quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye, producing seven sacks. One of the remaining healthy defensive ends, Will McDonald, had two sacks which gives him five across the last two games.
RIght tackle Morgan Moses left the field toward the end of the third quarter and was replaced by rookie first round pick Olu Fashanu. Moses headed back to the locker room with a left knee injury. Saleh wasn’t sure of the extent of the injury after the game, saying he’d have better answers on Friday.
Controlling the Line of Scrimmage, and the Clock
Coming into the game, the deck was stacked against the Patriots passing game, despite the Jets missing one of their best pass rushers in Johnson. The Jets starting cornerback duo of Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed is arguably the best combo in the league. Through the first two weeks of the season, Patriots receivers had 85 yards, the lowest of any team in the NFL. Throughout the league, 45 different individual receivers had at least 85 yards. In this game, the Patriots receivers had 84 receiving yards.
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson had carried the New England offense entering this game, looking like he was developing into one of the best backs in the league. The run-first strategy did not work for the Patriots in this game, as the Jets held the ball for about 40 minutes compared to just 20 for New England. Stevenson ran for only 23 yards on six carries.
On the other side, the Killer B’s, Breece Hall and Braelon Allen had been making names for themselves through the first two games of this season. That continued in this game. On the Jets first touchdown drive, the Patriots saw a steady dose of both backs, and even got frustrated enough to commit a body slam/late hit penalty against Hall. The duo finished with 109 yards combined and a touchdown.
Rodgers showed his ability to run an offense hasn’t changed. He finished 27 for 35 for 281 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Of Rodgers, after the game Saleh said, “He showed the mobility we’ve been seeing through training camp. His arm is still 30 and his mind is still operating at a high level.” Rodgers spread the ball around, with eight players catching passes. The two tight ends, Tyler Conklin and Jeremy Ruckert, combined for seven catches and 108 yards. The Jets outgained the Patriots 400-139 in this game.
The Jets receivers did not put up huge numbers, but came through when it mattered. Garrett Wilson finished with five catches for 33 yards and a touchdown. Allen Lazard caught the first touchdown pass Rodgers threw as a Jet at home, and finished with three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Room for Improvement
For the second straight week, the Jets had to burn timeouts to avoid delay of game penalties. With a veteran quarterback in Rodgers, this is surprising. However, it’s evidence of the offense still working to gel and play together after not getting any reps as a full unit in any preseason games. This will be a situation to monitor. As they get it figured out, one would anticipate that the offense’s performance would improve, too.
Penalties were a black eye on the otherwise strong performance of the team. The Jets were flagged eight times for 106 yards. In closer games against the heavyweights of the NFL, the penalties will prove to be costly.
Overall, it was a great team win for the Jets, as they move to 2-1, and look ahead to the Denver Broncos.
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